New(ish) work truck- What would you get?...I got a Dodge

[plumber mike]

With business booming, and a wife and 2 kids, I haven't been able to work on my old iron as often as I like. They need some repairs all the time. I'm thinking about getting rid of it all and just getting one good truck. But it needs to replace a 1990 V2500 350/465/241/sf14/10 that pushes my snow and serves as a backup service rig to take me to remote jobsites. A 2006 E350 cutaway box van that carries all my plumbing parts. I'm also going to ditch my 1986 K30 400/465/205/14/60 that carries dead plumbing parts to the dump. I'll replace this with a trailer.

So I'm hoping to get a 1 ton ex-cab 4x4 pickup or cab chassis,preferably manual trans, that can plow snow( I've always wanted a V-blade) and hold a utility/service body.It should be able to hande a 12-14K GVWR

I'm a chevy guy, but the no manual trans/ifs thing is hanging me up. My wife gets her 07 Tahoe(which we both love) serviced at the chevy dealer and it's a good bunch all the way around. How's that new 6 speed auto?

I heard ford is doing or has done away with the manual tranny too, and I'm not crazy about the local dealer. I don't know much about there new gassers either.

Dodge trucks do nothing for me, unless they have a cummins But I really don't need/want to pay/maintain a diesel. The biggest thing I tow is a pickup box trailer.

What would you guys do? Keep the old iron and pay to have them worked on? Get one good new Chevy/Ford/Dodge? and run the hell out of it?

Sincerely,

Lost in Lead

 

[TheWarbeast]

Well as a general rule the cheapest vehicle to work on is the one you already own. There is really nothing built in the last 10 years that I would buy. If you like it put some maintenance money in the truck and keep on working it.

 

[plumber mike]

It's a time issue, not a money issue.

Would it be cheaper to pay someone to work on all the little stuff the older truck needs, or make a monthly payment? Plus, My truck is my office, so creature comforts would be nice

I know I could build a better truck than the factory offerings, but I can't even find the time to put a stereo in my burb

 

[TheWarbeast]

Well that is a whole different kettle of fish. Any thought of getting a used truck. I am sure you could find one in good shape that would give good service. Then you could maybe let a shop work on the old one for a reliable backup.

My truck is my office too. At times it seems like it is my house. After 2 years I finally got time to put the backup camera, vid screen, and DVD player in. Now i can watch movies while I wait on people who aren't where they say they are going to be.

 

[rjfguitar]

I would get rid of the K30 and buy that trailer you want.

That only leaves you with one delima to deal with. Send out the 1990 and have a shop get it in great shape, or sell it too and buy a newer rig.

I also own my own business and my vehicles double as company vehicles, so I understand your situation perfectly. I use two vehicles for my operation, my 1981 K30 that is a full service rig equipped with everything I need in the field, and my '01 Dodge Ram Cummins that I use to pull my trailers and haul equipment. I am constantly jumping between the two and my take on new vs. old iron.

For one, I don't have much trouble with either vehicle, even for how old my '81 is, I've really had to do very little to it since I bought it. My '01 has youth on it's side, and my '81 has simplicity working for it. There is a creature comfort difference, the A/C and defrost does work better in my Dodge. Steering and suspension are really about the same, my K30 rides great ( it weighs 9K though) and the steering tracks great and is pretty tight. I drive about 30K a year myself, and it's pretty much split 3 ways with my two Dodges and K30. 10K behind the wheel of an older rig isn't that bad, but if I had to put 30K on it alone, I think I'd go newer.

You need to decide how much you will drive a potential new truck, and how much you would drive the 1990 if you got it in tip top shape. If the answer is a lot of miles for either, than a newer rig is probably the plan to go with. If the miles are kept to a minimum, it's a lot cheaper to register and insure an older vehicle.

 

[plumber mike]

None of my vehicles have given me any trouble to speak of.....but I need to keep it that way. Each day a vehicle is down cost $500-$1000 in lost revenue, and this is why I'm looking at it proactively rather that get stuck with whats available when I'm in a pickle (that how I aquired the Ford)
I put about 25K a year on my primary rig and 5K tops on the others.

I want a newer 4x4 truck to replace the Ford box van. I will keep the suburban forever, but not for work use. I'm hoping it can be a father/son/son project many years from now, and it only costs $35/yr to register....plus, it's only got 147K on it.

If I kept it all, I worry about the longevity of the Ford's 5 speed auto. The unit has 100K on it with half of those miles loaded 1500# over it's 10K GVWR.

Have the new Auto trannys improved reliability. The trucks around here are usually good for 200-300K miles, but those with auto trannys seem to replace them somewhere between 100-200K.

Am I just a worry wart? Do I just want a new rig because of the comforts?
I just think that if large fleets swap out equipment before mechanical problems occur, there must be a well thought out reason for this. I just dont know what it is.

Thanks for the responses guys

 

[COCHEV]

You can drop that K30 off at my dad's in Mitchell and I'll swing out there this spring to pick it up

Tough spot to look for a rig that you're after. If you go mid to upper 90s to mid 200s you will be hard pressed to find something with under 100k on it and soon to be in need of as much maintenance as your old stuff. so then you get a payment and a maintenance issue. So really, its new to 3 years old with warrenty or fix up and roll in your old stuff with no payments.

sense you have 3 rigs, drive the best one while you get work done to another one

 

[plumber mike]

Yup- I was thinking new or certified pre owned with under 36K miles and run it while I get some goodies for the older ones. The market is flooded with high mile late model rigs. At least the old stuff is cheap to repair and I know what they need already

I would break this rule for a 79-91 1 ton CC manny tranny single or dual rear wheel

I just wanna ditch this Ford before I need to repair it and wind up bieng stuck with it.

 

[plumber mike]

I've settled....

.....and by settling, I mean none of the big three have exactly what I want. I'd have to build it, and someday I might.

I'm going with a new Chevy since I want a gas motor, and the new Fords engine is too new for me to be the guinnea pig(like the folks who got the sweet new 6.0 Powerstroke)and the Hemi just dosen't comfort me like a Chevy

 

[tch777]

FWIW the 5R110 in the E350 is a damm good trans they put in behind the 6.0 stroke and it has held up in stock form to 500+ HP reliably in thousands of trucks, even had it behind the 6.4 stroke with them putting out 600+ HP, being a little overloaded behind a gasser is nothing for it if it was kept cool and clean fluid.
Hope you like your new Chevy, IMHO their gas engines are better than the Hemis if your moving weight around everyday and towing sometimes.

 

[plumber mike]

That does make me feel better tch777

I had a 99e350 5.4 and the tranny went at 45K.I've always been a worry wart when it comes to automatics.

Dodge diesel is the only way to get a manual tranny from any of the big three I still haven't completly ruled it out, but all of the emissions BS on the 08 and newer diesels is not something I really want to deal with.

On the bright side, March happens to be truck month for all the big three

 

[plumber mike]

I know


.....but I'm pumped about my purchase

I really wanted a brand new truck.I really wanted a manual tranny. I really wanted a floor shift T-case.The ONLY way to get one is to buy a Dodge. Then the only way to get one is behind a Cummins. Ok then

2011 Dodge Ram Crew 3500DRW CTD 6speed 4x4 stripped not equiped